Ongoing studies

Determination of Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Prognosis of Acute Colitis

Horses presenting to NC State equine hospital with colic, fevers, or diarrhea are eligible for this study. Horses enrolled in this study have blood and feces sampled at admission and then once a day for 3 additional timepoints. This sampling is minimally invasive and very safe for the horse. This study will help us understand which potential tests are good candidates for 1) identifying colitis early; and 2) understanding which horses will develop complications such as laminitis. The candidates are established from a strong list developed using RNA sequencing on tissues obtained from horses with severe colitis (funded by the Foundation for the Horse).

Collaborator: the NCSU equine medicine and emergency teams

Funding: pending submitted grants

Evaluation of antibiotic therapy duration in horses with pneumonia (August

 2025-ongoing)

Horses with mild to moderate pneumonia presenting to the NC State equine hospital can be enrolled in this clinical study directed by Dr. Kate Hepworth, a fellow internal medicine clinician. Horses will be diagnosed and treated with antibiotics for their pneumonia in hospital. They will be monitored closely for resolution of inflammatory markers in the blood, and at that time, antibiotics will be discontinued. We know that short term use of antibiotics is appropriate to treat pneumonia in other species, and expect this will also be the case in horses. Horses will be rechecked 7-10 days after their last dose of antibiotics to ensure their pneumonia is fully resolved. This will allow us to improve our treatment of pneumonia and reduce our antibiotic use.

Primary investigator: Dr. Kate Hepworth

Funding: CVM Intramural Award, Boehringer-Ingelheim Award

Completed studies

Rectal biopsy in horses with colitis (2023-2026)

Horses presenting to NC State equine hospital with diarrhea secondary to acute inflammation of the colon can be enrolled in this clinical study. Here, horses are lightly sedated in order for Dr. Sheahan to obtain small biopsies of the rectal mucosa (lining). These biopsies are grown in the lab to make 3D cell cultures, also known as organoids. These organoids will then be used to test novel treatments for diarrhea. These biopsies are minimally invasive, making enrollment in this study very low risk with big potential reward for advances in equine medicine. Results from this study have been used to help inform the ongoing biomarker study.

Collaborator: Dr. Anthony Blikslager (Associate Dean and Director of Veterinary Medical Services)

Funding: Morris Animal Foundation First Award, Foundation for the Horse

Determination of blood gas analysis reference intervals in healthy horses (March 2023-2025)

Healthy horses presenting to the NC State equine hospital can be enrolled in this clinical study, where a sample of blood is obtained to determine the normal reference ranges for our blood gas analyzer. In addition, serum will be saved to measure titers against a variety of infectious diseases. This will allow us to understand the prevalence of these diseases across the state of North Carolina.

Collaborator: Dr. Erika Gruber (Clinical Pathology)

Peritoneal fluid sampling in horses with colitis (April 2023-2025)

Horses presenting to NC State equine hospital with signs of colitis or inflammation of the colon (fever, diarrhea, low white blood cell count) can be enrolled in this clinical study. Here, a small sample of peritoneal fluid is obtained from the horse’s abdomen during standing sedation. The fluid is evaluated for cellularity, inflammation, and cultured for bacterial infection. The goal of this study is to understand the risk of bacterial translocation from the inflamed intestine to the peritoneum of the horse. This manuscript is in review.

Collaborator: Dr. Kate Hepworth (Equine Medicine)

Funding: Internal funds

Gastroscopy in horses after colic surgery (July 2023-2024)

Horses presenting to NC State equine hospital that undergo colic surgery can be enrolled in this clinical study. Here, horses are lightly sedated in order to perform gastroscopy after surgery. We are able to evaluate the stomach lining for ulcers and take biopsies of the stomach and the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) to compare these cells to those acquired from normal horses.  The goal of this study is to identify potential therapeutic targets to help horses’ intestines recover more quickly after colic surgery. Additionally, we will gain a better understanding of the potential causes and risk factors for glandular gastric ulcers. This manuscript is in review.

Collaborator: Dr. Amy Stewart (Equine Medicine), Dr. Megan Ballou (Equine Medicine Resident)

Funding: CVM Intramural Grant 2022-2023

About clinical studies

Clinical studies are free to the client when the diagnostics would not have been performed otherwise as part of your horse’s care and are approved by the university’s IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee). The Sheahan lab takes animal welfare very seriously and is committed to performing non-terminal research, where euthanasia is only performed if clinically indicated.

If you would like to discuss your horse’s eligibility for a clinical study, please contact Dr. Sheahan at [email protected]